Arris debuts ABR transcoder

Arris has upgraded its transcoding platform with enough new features to merit designating it with a new product series number.

One of the key new elements of Arris' 4000 series of VIPr transcoders, compared with the VIPr 2800, is the addition of adaptive bit rate (ABR) streaming.

The new product line also enables MPEG-4 adaptive streaming, video fragmentation and packaging of live content for multiple-screen applications for both Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and Digital Video Broadcast (DVB), as well as MPEG-4 transcoding, the company said.

The VIPr 4000 series enables operators to deliver live content in multiple encoding formats with the highest possible standard-definition and high-definition video quality. Arris said the VIPr 4000 series also introduces an enhanced chassis.

The anchor product in the line is the 4800, a network video processor that ingests video streams in both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 (AVC H.264), and the VIPr 4800 provides MPEG-4 video outputs at multiple resolutions, multiple bit rates (using ABR) and for multiple device types – including tablets, smartphones, personal computers and televisions.

The VIPr products leverage intelligent re-encoding technology that Arris developed to optimize video quality and flexibility during the transcoding process. This video processing technique first decodes the input digital video, then employs MPEG bit stream parameters present in the input video for optimal bit allocation decisions in the encoding process.

Different vendors attack the transcoding problem in different ways. Arris said its approach is critical to providing the highest-quality video over distribution networks.

"With these new technology capabilities, we are confident that the VIPr platform remains one of the best in the industry, offering unparalleled live content encoding and transcoding capabilities that will give operators a competitive advantage as they expand their video services across multiple video-capable devices," said Bill Hogan, vice president of product line management for Arris Digital Video Solutions.